Note: As defined by the US Census Bureau, a city's official boundaries often extend miles beyond the city itself and may even cross county lines. As such, several thousand US cities officially exist in two or more counties (and therefore appear on multiple counties' lists of cities.)
City | Rank | 2024 Pop. | 2020 Pop. | Change | Density (/mi²) | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 1 | 1,388,996 | 1,386,292 | 0.05% | 4,260 | 326.1 | City |
| Chula Vista | 2 | 273,841 | 275,809 | -0.18% | 5,517 | 49.6 | City |
| Oceanside | 3 | 168,705 | 173,965 | -0.77% | 4,088 | 41.3 | City |
| Escondido | 4 | 147,158 | 151,014 | -0.65% | 3,940 | 37.3 | City |
| Carlsbad | 5 | 113,018 | 114,924 | -0.42% | 2,989 | 37.8 | City |
| El Cajon | 6 | 101,963 | 106,075 | -1% | 7,027 | 14.5 | City |
| Vista | 7 | 98,289 | 98,508 | -0.06% | 5,243 | 18.7 | City |
| San Marcos | 8 | 93,967 | 94,849 | -0.24% | 3,824 | 24.6 | City |
| Encinitas | 9 | 60,455 | 61,997 | -0.63% | 3,172 | 19.1 | City |
| La Mesa | 10 | 60,350 | 61,097 | -0.31% | 6,638 | 9.1 | City |
| Santee | 11 | 59,349 | 59,864 | -0.22% | 3,589 | 16.5 | City |
| National City | 12 | 54,910 | 56,213 | -0.59% | 7,473 | 7.3 | City |
| Poway | 13 | 47,805 | 48,788 | -0.51% | 1,223 | 39.1 | City |
| La Presa | 14 | 39,360 | 37,410 | 0.95% | 7,160 | 5.5 | CDP |
| Fallbrook | 15 | 34,239 | 32,359 | 0.78% | 1,952 | 17.5 | CDP |
| Spring Valley | 16 | 33,211 | 31,866 | 1.09% | 4,523 | 7.3 | CDP |
| Lemon Grove | 17 | 27,558 | 27,602 | -0.04% | 7,104 | 3.9 | City |
| Imperial Beach | 18 | 25,243 | 26,102 | -0.84% | 5,884 | 4.3 | City |
| Rancho San Diego | 19 | 22,634 | 21,476 | 0.45% | 2,603 | 8.7 | CDP |
| Ramona | 20 | 22,422 | 21,493 | 0.68% | 583 | 38.4 | CDP |
| Lakeside | 21 | 21,944 | 21,032 | 0.42% | 3,167 | 6.9 | CDP |
| Winter Gardens | 22 | 21,435 | 22,785 | 0.27% | 4,850 | 4.4 | CDP |
| Casa Oro-Mount Helix | 23 | 20,270 | 19,327 | 0.53% | 2,959 | 6.9 | CDP |
| Coronado | 24 | 18,532 | 18,150 | 0.52% | 2,374 | 7.8 | City |
| Bostonia | 25 | 17,095 | 17,532 | 0.72% | 8,876 | 1.9 | CDP |
| Alpine | 26 | 16,190 | 14,958 | 0.87% | 604 | 26.8 | CDP |
| Camp Pendleton South | 27 | 14,489 | 16,618 | 1.94% | 2,089 | 6.9 | CDP |
| Bonita | 28 | 13,629 | 12,470 | 0.58% | 2,717 | 5.0 | CDP |
| Solana Beach | 29 | 12,591 | 12,927 | -0.66% | 3,688 | 3.4 | City |
| Valley Center | 30 | 11,204 | 11,320 | 1.24% | 408 | 27.4 | CDP |
| Camp Pendleton Mainside | 31 | 11,199 | 7,424 | 7.69% | 1,042 | 10.7 | CDP |
| San Diego Country Estates | 32 | 10,263 | 9,752 | 0.11% | 611 | 16.8 | CDP |
| Eucalyptus Hills | 33 | 6,687 | 6,448 | 1.49% | 1,405 | 4.8 | CDP |
| Jamul | 34 | 5,994 | 5,776 | -0.2% | 356 | 16.8 | CDP |
| Granite Hills | 35 | 4,773 | 4,020 | 2.67% | 1,709 | 2.8 | CDP |
| Harbison Canyon | 36 | 4,186 | 4,355 | 0.58% | 416 | 10.1 | CDP |
| Bonsall | 37 | 4,156 | 4,194 | 0.31% | 305 | 13.6 | CDP |
| Lake San Marcos | 38 | 4,020 | 3,957 | -0.74% | 2,355 | 1.7 | CDP |
| Del Mar | 39 | 3,841 | 3,945 | -0.67% | 2,237 | 1.7 | City |
| Hidden Meadows | 40 | 3,734 | 3,675 | 0.48% | 567 | 6.6 | CDP |
| Campo | 41 | 3,599 | 3,536 | 1.87% | 153 | 23.5 | CDP |
| Crest | 42 | 3,277 | 2,721 | 1.52% | 502 | 6.5 | CDP |
| Rancho Santa Fe | 43 | 3,019 | 2,657 | -0.23% | 450 | 6.7 | CDP |
| Fairbanks Ranch | 44 | 2,992 | 2,929 | -0.37% | 587 | 5.1 | CDP |
| Borrego Springs | 45 | 2,866 | 1,864 | -1.38% | 66 | 43.4 | CDP |
| Harmony Grove | 46 | 2,379 | 1,494 | 7.7% | 772 | 3.1 | CDP |
| Pine Valley | 47 | 1,823 | 1,611 | 1.28% | 254 | 7.2 | CDP |
| Lakeside | 48 | 1,639 | 969 | 7.69% | 908 | 1.8 | CDP |
| Descanso | 49 | 1,425 | 1,398 | 0% | 74 | 19.2 | CDP |
| Julian | 50 | 1,356 | 1,318 | -0.8% | 172 | 7.9 | CDP |
| Pala | 51 | 1,153 | 1,094 | 7.76% | 207 | 5.6 | CDP |
| Jacumba | 52 | 906 | 579 | 2.72% | 148 | 6.1 | CDP |
| Spring Valley | 53 | 896 | 1,056 | 0.34% | 182 | 4.9 | CDP |
| Elfin Forest | 54 | 694 | 462 | 7.6% | 343 | 2.0 | CDP |
| Potrero | 55 | 484 | 250 | -2.62% | 154 | 3.1 | CDP |
| Boulevard | 56 | 366 | 453 | 0.83% | 94 | 3.9 | CDP |
| Del Dios | 57 | 294 | 302 | 7.69% | 717 | 0.4 | CDP |
| Mount Laguna | 58 | 121 | 102 | 7.08% | 71 | 1.7 | CDP |
Note: City markers shown outside the county boundary mean that a part of the city extends into this county, but is primarily located in an adjacent county.
San Diego is the largest city in San Diego County.
Mount Laguna is the smallest city in San Diego County.
There are 58 cities in San Diego County, California.